1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an inflatable satellite bus for use with mission payloads.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many satellites are composed of two main elements; the payload and the bus. The payload contained the equipment that was mission specific to the satellite's intended purpose. The bus provided support functions common to most satellites such as attitude control, power, and telemetry.
The separation of functions common to most satellites into a bus allowed for the development of a standard base to support a variety of satellites. One advantage to a standard bus is that the bus affords a known footprint for the satellite payload. While such an approach supports a standard that satellite manufactures may rely upon in preparing a payload, the footprint becomes a limiting factor in the design of satellites.
What is needed is a satellite bus that provides a more flexible base for the payload. While inflatable craft are known in the human habitat arena as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,010 to Schneider et al and U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,189 to Raboin et al, the present invention addresses the application of the principles of inflatable structures to operate as a bus for satellites.